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tells the assembled medical and scientific men that 
^nhe simplest particle of that which men in their blind- 
ness are pleased to call brute matter/ is a vast aggre- 
gate of molecular mechanisms performing complicated 
movements of immense rapiditg and sensitivity (/) adjusting 
themselves to every change in the surrounding world. Living 
matter differs from other matter in degree and not in kind ; 
the microcosm repeats the macrocosm^ and one chain of causa- 
tion connects the nebulous original of suns and planetary 
systems with the protoplasmic foundation of life and organ- 
isation.^^ 
Professor Huxley has been continually propounding and 
putting forward conjectural utterances of the kind during the 
last twenty years, and it is surely now time that something 
more substantial should be brought forward in support of the 
dogmas than conjectural chains of causation. Just think over 
the paragraph I have read, and try to extract from it any 
sense it may contain. We are told that the protoplasmic 
foundation of life and organisation^^ is connected with ^Hhe 
nebulous original of suns and planetary systems,^^ by ^‘^one 
chain of causation.^^ Can an individual be found who will 
undertake to defend oi^ to expound these nebulous utterances ? 
If they amuse, they will certainly delude and mislead an 
audience. Here is an example of what is considered good for 
the purpose of advancing scientific education. That talk of 
this kind should be deemed likely to enlighten the medical 
profession, or assist in any way to advance medical education, 
is most extraordinary. 
It is not pleasant to have to differ from Professor Huxley, 
for not only has he a multitude of enthusiastic admirers, but 
he is himself a master in the use of very robust language, par- 
ticularly when he deigns to refer to people who do not agree 
with him. 8ome who are unable to accept as the exact truth 
what he affirms to be truth have been spoken of as bigots, 
and it is possible that some other epithets may yet be found 
to still more decidedly characterise people who are opposed to 
his doctrines. Only the other day it was said that a truth 
which, according to Mr. Huxley, had been trodden under 
foot, reviled by bigots, and ridiculed by all the world, is 
only hated and feared (!) by those who would revile but dare 
not I Professor Huxley likes the word ^^revile.^^ To say 
that people who differ from you revile you is, undoubtedly, 
an ingenious way of getting out of a great difficulty. When 
you are asked to explain what you mean by some very con- 
fident dictatorial utterance, and if you feel that you cannot do 
so, there is nothiug like accusing your opponent of reviling. 
